I am a Professor and holder of Skoll Chair of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Previously, I have worked at the Melbourne Business School and have my own consulting company, Core Research. I hold a PhD in economics from Stanford and have published several books including Parentonomics: An Economist Dad Looks at Parenting (MIT Press 2009) and, most recently, Information Wants to be Shared (HBR Press 2012). I blog on technology issues at Digitopoly.org as well as regularly at Harvard Business Review. Currently, I am living in Toronto with my family, including my three children who are the inspiration for everything I write here.

Why The Hunger Games Is A Great Movie For Kids

That’s my opinion having just taken my 11 year old son to see it. And if I am to read the blogosphere, it is a controversial opinion to hold. Some, including here at Forbes, see it as potentially causing reduced civility amongst kids. Others see it as pure escapism for teens with little teach them or improve their understanding of the world. I have read the first book and now seen the movie and I disagree.

Just in case you missed it, The Hunger Games involves a future society where, as a result of the outcome of an earlier suppressed rebellion, each year, each of 12 ruled districts offers up two 12-18 year olds as tribute to basically play a game of Survivor. The twist is that there is no tribal council or votes but instead the kids just kill each other until one is left standing. To be sure, this is not the sort of movie that we have come to associate as kid friendly these days. But to hold that view is to opt for a sheltered view of what our kids should be exposed to.

My son is actually quite a sensitive soul. When trailers for horror movies come on, he covers his ears and shields his eyes. So I was somewhat surprised when I learned that last year he had read The Hunger Games and enjoyed it. Why I asked? He said, “it made you think.”

Cover of The Hunger Games

And it is from that perspective that I approached the book and then the movie. Right from the start the movie opens, not with the game, but with its anticipation. All of the kids are put in the position of facing uncertainty as to whether they would be offered as tribute for the game. It taxes them so much so that the lead character proclaims she will never have children in that world. It is this feature more than the game itself that teaches kids, especially amongst the more privileged in our society — of which my son is one — to think about the uncertainty that many less well off both here and throughout the world live. It may not be The Hunger Games that taxes them but the fear of becoming ill without adequate health insurance or of losing one’s home to a financial crisis. Studies show that this has great harmful implications for the welfare of adults. Think about what it does to children. The Hunger Games forces the reader to experience that fact of many people’s lives even if dressed up in a fictional world.

The game itself brings forward another thought: what would you do? The disturbing thing about The Hunger Games but also its most plausible aspect is how easily most of the tributes buy into the game and are comfortable with killing others to save their own lives. To be sure, not all of them are alike but there is little thought in the moment given to the notion of combat or murder. How often in discussing the news or past historical wars have your children asked you how people come to kill one another? The Hunger Games paints a picture of how the situation rather than the person can matter. This is what social psychologists have taught us (think of the famous Milgram or Stanford prison experiments). Here, it is presented in fictional form and it is powerful. To us, it provoked a discussion of precisely that and made our children step back and think about how the situation can define their actions and the actions of others. This is not an easy subject to broach but The Hunger Games gives us the context.

Finally, there is the question of plausibility. In The Hunger Games, most players are coerced but some volunteer. Interestingly, they are from the apparently richer districts even though there is a prize of incredible riches for the victor. That provokes thoughts about whether people would volunteer for this sort of game in today’s world. This is also the context upon which you can broach the subject of Kony2012 with your kids. The most salient part of that movement is the notion of stolen children who are made to fight (think abou that people who believe The Hunger Games is far removed from reality). But there have also been times in history where kids fought without coercion. In many respects, this is all about the plausibility of the economics of the movie. The point is that the very subject of how far removed the movie is from reality is one that the movie can stimulate.

In my mind, the controversy surrounding The Hunger Games reflects a steady move towards a more sheltered existence for our children. I will freely admit that I might have hesitated about taking my son to see the movie had he not already discovered the book. And he saw it and enjoyed it and was not traumatised by the experience. The situation that took the choice out of our hands allowed him to broaden his own horizons without the cost of parental deliberation.

And what age is appropriate? That depends on the kid. Given knowledge my son’s reaction, I would not hesitate in letting him see the movie had he been a year or two younger. Beyond that, the benefits I have suggested above in terms of a broader discussion of the world would probably be lost. But truth be told, apart from all the killing, the kids in this movie or the book are far less mean or cruel than children in the school playground. It is easy to get distract by adult classifications of trauma that may loom less large than those children actually experience.

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I enjoyed reading your well thought-out post. As you said, it’s hard to determine what is age appropriate. It is ok for a teen but not a tween?

When a parent is faced with the juggle of work and life, they simply might not have known what their child was to encounter. Therein lies one of the problems. It was violent, and there should have been more of a warning.

The theatre was filled with groups of children – sans the parents. We can’t shelter our young, but sadly not all parents will take the time to explain such story lines.

We need strong morality tales, but honestly will every 8 year old see through the violence to embrace the depth of this story? Why should they be subjected to it at the level of children killing children?

The books message is important, but I feel it was watered down through the lens of violence.

As one parent told me, if they’re not old enough to read the book and grok it – they shouldn’t go to the movie. @JudyMartin8

John and Terence- Did you even read the book or watch the movie? It’s hard to make an informed comment if your are not, in fact, informed.

I read the book two years ago and found it profound, thought-provoking, and well-written. It explores deep human issues, and made me think about my own situation in the world economy. It’s very disturbing to read about adults benefiting from the pain and suffering of children, and it’s disturbing to know that every day children are sold into slavery to harvest chocolate so that I can enjoy a cheap Snickers bar. The book influenced my thought and behavior. It drove home the fact that, whether I want to or not, by living in the society I do, I benefit from others’ pain. It’s not right, and it needs to change.

Yes, the book and movie are intense, but they deal with real issues that we would do well to face rather than hide from, and unless we want our children to grow up as thoughtless, cold people who have no problem benefiting from the suffering of others around the world, we would do well to open their eyes to some difficult realities.

Just what our children need: Brutal images of child on child violence. YAY! Games in which they kill each other. Wonderful.

Mr. Gans will certainly not be my current or future critic in chief. The amount of very poor judgement shown by adults in postmodern America is as upsetting as the brutal nature of this film.

Is this film the highest and best this so-called culture has to offer its young? I recommend Robert Bly’s Sibling Society for anyone who wants to know why Mr. Gans makes light of the harm this movie will cause some of our sensitive children.

After my getting crossways with family members over the propriety of this movie (have not read the book) I scanned the web to find Mr. Gans review. Thankfully, I found other like minded individuals attached to the comments section. Where is the outrage over this movie!!! I fully expected to find more out there, an indictment of our times. The proverbial wind is blowing harder than ever b4. Mr. Gans is enjoying the blustery day.

From a middle school reading specialist: HOGWASH, Mr. PhD. A child’s ‘reading level’ and their cognitive and emotional ability to connect with the message and theme of the book are two different things. An adult reading the book, pontificating their adult perspectives, having advanced discussions, synthesizing their own experiences and background knowledge regarding the politics, violence, socioeconomic themes, and messages in the book with other adults, and using those ADULT discussions as a basis for advocating a book for KIDS is ridiculous. Children’s brains are not as cognitively adept as adults, and they certainly (we would hope) lack the backgroud knowledge to put such themes in an emotional or intellectual context that would find benefit of the story that these adults imagine they will. An adult who is willing to admit the book is, or can be disturbing or scary to kids is taking a huge arrogant gamble that their child will even remotely “get it.” And as far as your quest for your child to have such a mature and thought provoking analysis of the themes – I, as a teacher would love to read it. Before you put your two cents in to edit it. With our national reading scores in the toilet, it is remarkable how many parents suddenly have brilliant children so capable of synthesizing such content. Dont assume because you connect with the themes, and because book publishers and hollywood say so – that a child or adolescent is capable of the same thing. The book was disturbing, intriguing, and highly emotional to me, as an adult. I found it more disturbing that middle school kids at the movie were giggling through the violence. Laughter is often a response pre-teens give as way of dealing with content that is too difficult to emotionally connect with or process. Many parents are allowing the book to be read, and the movie to be seen before reading or watching – and without thinking about it through the eyes of a child. That is the most disturbing part.

nice response! I just found out the middle school I use to teach at is taking the entire 8th grade class to see the movie the local theater, still just shocked at how this movie gets a pass. As if we can really shelter our kids from the harsh realities of life as it is. Here’s a great idea, let’s shove some more senseless killings down their throats in the name “education.” We are so lost as a society right now, unbelievable.